The classic grilled cheese is trendy again

Mike Ransdell/Kansas City Star/MCT. The gooey smoked gouda and artichoke heart on grilled sourdough is a creative take on the classic grilled cheese sandwich. -MCT

This is a very cheesy story about the resurgence of a favorite grilled sandwich.

Most of us have fond memories of the classic mom used to make — a slice of American cheese melted between two slices of white bread. Margarine, not butter, was the grease of choice for a crisp exterior.

The results, always so warm and comforting, might as well be imprinted on our DNA.

Wait. You need a recipe? Truth is, I felt a bit silly searching for recipes. I mean, who on Earth — OK, this country at least — doesn’t know how to make grilled cheese?

Then I found a recipe for Bachelor Grilled Cheese: pop two pieces of white bread into a toaster, brown; insert two slices of cheese, wrap sandwich in a paper towel and microwave for 15 or 20 seconds until cheese is melted.

It’s not that hard to butter bread and cook it in a pan on the stove. Really. Still, 90 fans of allrecipes.com rated the Bachelor recipe with 4 and three-quarters stars out of a possible 5.

We can’t all eat grilled cheese in the comfort of our own homes if we’re ever going to get this economy pumping again, so some clever chefs are trying to lure us out the door with, you guessed it, lots of melted cheese.

Enter the grilled cheese restaurant.

The trendiest: The Melt, with locations expected in major cities, an automated grilled cheese restaurant chain started by the guy who invented the Flip video camera. Word is customers order using a smartphone app. The sandwich is cooked in less than a minute by an appliance that melts the cheese while simultaneously searing the bread.

That’s a technique familiar to chef Marshall Roth, who just added a few new melts to the menu at Dog Nuvo, a gourmet frank restaurant in Kansas City, Mo. When he expanded beyond hotdogs, Roth knew he wanted to speed the grilled cheese process.

He puts the bread in a steamer to start the cheese oozing, then he flips the sandwich over to the flat-top griddle. He uses clarified butter, salted please, to create a crisp crust. The process cuts customer wait time down to a manageable 3- or 4-minute wait, no app required.

From the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen in San Francisco to Cheeseboy in Boston and the in-between Feelgood in Austin, Texas, grilled cheese restaurants are hot.

“For me, it’s very nostalgic,” Roth says. “When the economy is bad, everyone goes back to the basics. That’s why grilled cheese, hotdogs and macaroni and cheese are popular right now. It brings us back to a happier time.”

And, Roth admits, grilled cheese is practically a no-brainer for a chef. “How can you screw anything up that’s cooked in butter?”

Even better, his cheese melts come with a recession-friendly price tag: $2.99 and $3.49.

But why would chefs feel compelled to put their stamp on the Simple Simon of sandwiches?

Uncomplicated foods can elicit some of the greatest debate, according to Laura Werlin, a cheese expert and author of “Grilled Cheese, Please!” Should you use cheese slices or grated cheese? Thick or thin bread? Butter or margarine, mustard or mayo, olive oil or vegetable oil? Salt or no salt? An additional filling or just a combination of cheeses?

Thanks to a steady supply of artisanal breads and farmstead cheeses, Americans are clearly ripe for more websites, cookbooks and restaurants on the subject.

As Werlin puts it: “Grilled cheese, the movement, has arrived.”

PESTO GRILLED CHEESE

A mixture of cheeses is usually advised, but should the cheese be sliced or shredded? This grilled cheese recipe opts for slices and sneaks a little bit of pesto and a slice of tomato into the melt.

Makes 1 sandwich

2 slices Italian bread

1 tablespoon softened butter, divided

1 tablespoon prepared pesto sauce, divided

1 slice provolone cheese

2 slices tomato

1 slice American cheese

Spread one side of a slice of bread with butter, and place it, buttered side down, into a nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Spread the top of the bread slice in the skillet with half the pesto sauce, and place a slice of provolone cheese, the tomato slices and the slice of American cheese onto the pesto.

Spread remaining pesto on one side of the second slice of bread, and place the bread slice, pesto side down, onto the sandwich. Butter the top of the sandwich.

Gently fry the sandwich, flipping once, until both sides of the bread are golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes per side.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and line a plate with paper towels. Add the prosciutto slices to the skillet (you may need to do this in batches) and cook until browned and crisp, about 2 minutes on each side.

Transfer to the paper towels to drain. The prosciutto will become crisper as it cools.

Add enough oil to make 2 tablespoons fat in the pan. Heat over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the broccoli rabe. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, tender and bright green yet caramelized around a few of the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. (Add water to the pan if it seems dry.) Add the lemon juice, red pepper flakes and salt and toss to coat. Transfer the broccoli rabe to a plate. Wipe out the skillet but don’t wash it.

To assemble: Brush the remaining oil on one side of each slice of bread. Place 4 slices of bread, oil side down, on your work surface. Distribute the broccoli rabe and follow with the prosciutto. Pile the cheese on top, compressing it with your hand if necessary, and top with the remaining bread slices, oil side up.

For stovetop method: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Put the sandwiches into the pan, cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the undersides are golden brown. Turn the sandwiches, pressing each one firmly with a spatula to flatten slightly.

Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the undersides are well browned. Remove the cover, turn the sandwiches once more, and press firmly with the spatula once again. Cook for 1 minute, or until the cheese has melted completely.

Remove from the pan and let cool for 5 minutes. Cut in half and serve.

AWESOME GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES

In grilled cheese circles, there is plenty of debate about the proper tools for making a great sandwich. Nonstick pan? A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet? A panini press or sandwich maker? One recipe for Bachelor Grilled Cheese even calls for a combo toasting/microwaving method. This recipe uses the oven to take the chore out making multiple sandwiches.

Makes 9 sandwiches

18 slices bread

4 tablespoons butter

9 slices cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter one side of 9 slices of bread, and place butter-side down on a baking sheet. Arrange cheese on each slice of bread. Spread butter on 9 remaining slices of bread, and place them buttered-side up on top of the cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Flip the sandwiches and bake an additional 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

Source: allrecipes.com

GUIDELINES TO GREAT GRILLED CHEESE

Grate the cheese (it melts better “by virtue of its wispiness”)

Thick cheese and thin bread is the best ratio.

Spread butter on the bread, not the pan.

Stick with nonstick pans, mostly.

Flatten slightly with a spatula while grilling.

Cool it, then eat it. It’s a simple step that avoids molten cheese burns to the mouth, and it allows the flavor to develop.